Youth Football

Barney’s bible: The SSFL’s backward rule change; and what Yorke and Jordan did that our youths abandoned

So far I have only touched on youth development from a ball manipulation and decision-making viewpoint. However, playing in competitive games non-stop can also hinder the physical development and health of players.  Again, the local adage that ‘the more you play, the better you get’ is misleading on this count. …

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Barney’s bible: ‘The more games you play, the better you get’ fallacy leaves T&T players underdeveloped

Youth development in Trinidad, simply put, consists of tournaments and competitions. The Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL), Youth Pro League (YPL), Republic Bank Youth League, Next Level U-19 Tournament and Commissioner’s Cup are the main players in this arena.  I will use the SSFL as the starting point of the …

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Barney’s bible: Does T&T player development follow best practices? Are our youth competitions helping or hurting?

A question on The Burdie and Barney podcast during our discussion with former England Premier League and 2006 World Cup goalkeeper Shaka Hislop lingered long after that episode was over:  Have we been developing players? Or were we just blessed with talented players previously and, now, not so much?  At …

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Dear Editor: Malls packed, beaches crowded, new movies in cinema; yet they pick on sports

“[…] Last Saturday, the malls were jam-packed with juveniles and police had to be called in to disperse the crowd. Beaches remain open and quite obviously will be crowded this weekend, just as they were reported to be last weekend, while there are sure to be new movies released in the cinema.  …

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‘Obstacles are part of the process’, TTOC toasts T&T’s sporting ‘game-changers’

Trinidad and Tobago international swimmer Dylan Carter and cyclist Teniel Campbell, the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee’s (TTOC) Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year respectively, reminisced on the most tumultuous year of their sporting careers—after being toasted by the TTOC at its Annual Awards Gala on 29 December, which was …

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Grosvenor receives TTOC’s Chapman award; Carter and Campbell get major 2020 sport gongs

Former St Anthony’s College and Queen’s Royal College (QRC) football coach Nigel Grosvenor was recognised posthumously for his contribution to sport yesterday, as the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) presented him with the Alexander B Chapman award. The award, named after the former TTOC president, is meant to serve …

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‘Fly with the angels, Grovy!’ A footballing tribute to iconic SSFL coach Nigel Grosvenor

Trinidad and Tobago lost a giant of its youth football arena today, at roughly 3am. Former St Anthony’s College and Queen’s Royal College (QRC) football coach Nigel ‘Grovy’ Grosvenor passed away at the Couva Hospital this morning, more than a month after he was admitted there—following a positive test for …

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Grosvenor grateful for love and prayers, iconic ex-St Anthony’s coach hospitalised for Covid-19

Iconic Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) coach and former Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) national youth team coach Nigel ‘Grovey’ Grosvenor is among 828 persons being treated for the novel coronavirus at present, within the Ministry of Health’s parallel health care system. Grosvenor was admitted to the Couva General …

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